Today in History: Jeff Bridges is Born (1949)

On this day, 63 years ago, award-winning American actor Jeff Bridges was born. During our tribute week for him back in July, we saw another facet of this talented musician, quirky cartoonist, and dedicated philanthropist: he is also a pretty awesome panoramic photographer! Learn more about "the Dude" in this installment of Today in History!

*Jeffrey Leon Bridges* was born on December 4, 1949 in Los Angeles, California to celebrity parents Lloyd Bridges and Dorothy Dean. He is the first to admit that he was “a product of Nepotism” since his folks paved the way for his entry into Tinseltown. But his longevity in the industry, coupled with his roster of awards and successful endeavors, prove that he hustled like every aspiring artist to make a name in Hollywood.

On top of starring in cult classic films like The Big Lebowski (1998) and bagging accolades such as his Best Actor Oscar for _Crazy Heart_ (2009), Jeff Bridges is kept busy by his other creative pursuits: his songwriting has produced an album, his drawings decorate his website, and his panoramic photography has been published into a book!

A lot of Lomographers liked the galleries of Widelux panormas Bridges shot because the swing-lens of the camera showed us the cinematic scenes in the real life of a movie star. The beautiful black and white imagery, Bridges’ personal notes and anecdotes, and the behind-the-scenes access to Hollywood film sets truly made for eye-opening stories.

He has yet to share new photos from his recent projects, but that’s probably because he’s busy wrapping up his latest flick, Seventh Son, with co-star Julianne Moore. He might also be preoccupied helping the famished, in cooperation with the No Kid Hungry charity. Nevertheless, we wish “the Dude” the best on his 63rd birthday—and we also wish he’d share more of his panoramic photos soon!

In celebration of the mindblowing solar eclipse we had the other day, we ran a competition and asked you to tag your analogue photos centered around our great big yellow friend! Check out the winners now!

In December last year James Wright, editor and creative director of So It Goes Magazine, went on a two-week trip to Sri Lanka, "a place so long on our bucket list, but up until then, as yet unvisited," he writes on the first of his three-part photo diary. Herein is the first of his series that chronicles his adventures, highlighted by a selection of breathtaking images of the Sri Lankan countryside and the locals, among many other images, captured with his trusty photographic companions: the Leica MP, Lomo LC-A+, and an assortment of films including the LomoChrome Purple.

Simeon Smith is a musician who recorded the sounds of our film cameras in action and made these samples available as a free download. We couldn't resist interviewing him about this project and taking a look at some of his photos. Meet the man behind the cams here.

Stephen Shore introduced to the 70s art world an unadorned image of American life. He captured littered restaurant tables as other photographers would immaculate vistas. For the opening of “American Surfaces”, he even taped unframed snapshots on gallery walls. In these videos, Shore talks about objects that have “no pretention to art” and the things he learned from Andy Warhol.

In my early adolescence, I liked to play table football. For my 12th birthday, my parents gifted me with a wonderful Subbuteo table soccer game set that I had wished for many months! This was my favorite toy until I discovered other interesting hobbies, like ham radio and electronics. So after some years, I gave away this game to other kids. I always remembered this game with pleasure and a hint of nostalgia.